The invention relates to the cleaning of optical fibers and, in particular, to the safe application of solvents to and removal of contaminants from the endfaces of optical fibers.
Optical transmission of signals is not new. Mirrors have been used for centuries to reflect light in signaling patterns. Lanterns hung in the bell tower of the Old North Church in Boston""s North End were employed by Paul Revere to indicate the route used by the British in their advance on Concord. Alexander Graham Bell transmitted a telephone signal using sunlight as a carrier more than one hundred years ago. However, using optical signals to transmit high-speed telecommunications has only been practical for the past few decades and one of the innovations that made such transmissions practical is the optical fiber.
Coupled with a xe2x80x9csingle frequencyxe2x80x9d laser a single mode fiber may be capable of reliably supporting data rates in excess of Terabits/sec. Great pains must be taken to insure reliable operation at such high data rates. A great deal of information could be lost in a short period of time at such high transmission rates. Various optical components within a telecommunication system are linked through the use of optical connectors and the interface at each of these connections poses the danger of signal loss. That is, contaminants in the form of organic films or solid contaminants may be inadvertently introduced to the endfaces of optical connectors and these contaminants may reflect or absorb optical signals intended for transmission through the endface. Optical signal levels may be significantly reduced even by contaminants of a microscopic scale and the diminished signals could cause significantly increased bit error rates for optical transmissions that pass through a contaminated connector. Consequently, fiber endfaces are typically cleaned to exacting standards before they are shipped to an installation site.
This cleaning process typically requires a technician to apply a solvent to a connector endface, and wipe the endface with a nonabrasive material, such as a soft cloth sometimes referred to as a xe2x80x9cswipexe2x80x9d. Direct contact with the solvent may pose a health hazard; therefore, technicians typically don gloves to avoid direct contact with the solvent materials. Unfortunately, the gloves sometimes prove awkward and reduce the efficiency of technicians engaged in the cleaning process. Additionally, there is some indication that some technicians may develop an allergy to glove materials, such as latex.
It would therefore be highly desirable to provide an apparatus that enables the fast, efficient, and safe cleaning of optical fiber endfaces.
An optical fiber cleaning apparatus in accordance with the principles of the present invention includes a base that includes a well supported within an annulus. The well may be formed as a concave paraboloid and acts as a local reservoir for solvent fluids. An absorbent material, such as a sponge or cotton ball, may be located within the well of the base. A cover mates with the base and holds a cleaning fabric in a preferred position over the well. The cover includes an aperture through which the cleaning fabric may be accessed. The cover may also include a hinged element that closes over the aperture within the cover when the cleaning apparatus is not in use.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention the base may itself be an element of the lid of a push-pump mechanism. In such an embodiment the well within the base is operationally connected to receive solvents from the pumping mechanism. The pumping mechanism, including the base, forms a cover for a solvent reservoir, such as a non-reactive bottle.